Saint Cassios
by BlueballsBey
Summary: An AU of the original Saint Seiya series where instead of Seiya, Cassios obtains the Pegasus cloth at the beginning of the story and becomes the morally ambiguous protagonist.


According to Greek mythology, the hero Perseus managed to sever the head of the monstrous Medusa. From the spilled blood, a precious winged horse, Pegasus, was born.

Pegasus took flight into the sky and became a constellation...

Two combatants stand in an arena. It was like a scene out of myth, a boy with a righteous power burning in his heart standing against a ruthless giant. Their match was just about over though, the giant, Cassios, was left bloodied and bruised from the beating he had received at the hands of the boy, Seiya. Even with his ear torn from his skull, he was absolutely obsessed with victory over the one he always used to beat effortlessly. His massive fist shot through the air with uncanny speed and terrifying power, only to be easily intercepted by the palm of Seiya's hand. "Wha...?!" He froze up, even more perplexed than before.

"You still don't get it? The one who is not qualified is you, Cassios! You've only gained the outward destructive power of a saint!" Seiya cracks a triumphant smirk, before elaborating. _"Have you ever felt the universe within you?"_

"The... Universe..?"

A chill ran up Cassios' spine, he knew what his opponent was speaking of: Cosmo! The untapped power within all things, something that the Saints of Athena could focus and manipulate to shatter the earth and tear the stars apart. He first learned of this universal energy when he was only a boy training under Shaina, but he was never able to make it his own, so he resorted to raw strength alone in an attempt to make up for it... Was that why he was now on the brink of defeat, because he did what he knew was possible instead of grasping for the unfathomable? He remembers his first kill. Ever since the day he made a man's head fly off with a single attack, he thought that he had reached the pinnacle of strength, that he didn't have to push himself further. Only now did he realize what a fool he had become. "Shaina..." A silent whisper leaves his mouth as he turned his bleeding head to the masked woman sitting in the arena's spectator seats, along with the many men of Athena's Sanctuary that cheered for him moments before, but were now staring forward with shock and doubt. If that crybaby Seiya surpassed him, he could only grit his teeth at the ones that had already obtained bronze cloths, and silver cloths, and the golds, which rose high above every other human on this earth! If he was struck down here Seiya would surely spare him, but he'd rather die than be humiliated in front of all his comrades and his mentor, the woman he... _Loved_!

Seiya jumped back and out of the giant's range, suddenly enveloped by a powerful aura after taking a strange stance. Every spectator's focus was on the one who would surely be the future Pegasus Saint, and while some questioned just what exactly Seiya was doing, Cassios knew all too well that he was preparing something big.

"Cassios, I will say it again. You have lost. Now disappear!" _'You idiot! If you show me that you really have that cosmo in you, you can have the cloth!'_ , was what he would have said before his epiphany, but he couldn't continue to underestimate his enemy any longer. Instead he continued to watch Seiya's movements, whose hands started moving around in the air like lightning, completely puzzling Cassios. Was he attempting to catch him off guard? His guess was proven wrong when Shaina cried out something entirely different. "Ah... That is... The constellation of Pegasus! Seiya's hands are tracing the 13 stars of Pegasus! Watch out! Do not go near him, Cassios!"

"What?!" He replied in disbelief, but without heeding the female Saint's warning. The one before him was so close that he had no time to dodge, and instinctually threw another punch, this time with all of his weight behind it. Something that should have proven fruitless, but it was different from before. He silently prayed, not for his own strength to hold up against Seiya's cosmo, but for a miracle. The boy unleashed his attack.

 _ **"PEGASUS METEOR FIST!"**_

Like clockwork he felt something deep within his soul rising and heating up, as if a great force moved through the universe itself, into his heart and then through his fist. Everyone in the arena, Cassios himself included, expected him to be knocked off his feet in the following few seconds. But rather than the noise of many impacts Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Fist would make, there was only one thunderous cracking noise. Seiya was forced back and onto the floor, his armor blown off on impact, which in turn caused the air to be filled with gasps. "SEIYA!" Another masked woman, Marin, called out to her apprentice, but Cassios didn't hear it. His hearing was blocked out by the noise of his heart pounding in his chest, staring at his now-scorched and smoking fist. Did he just..? Attempting to regain his composure, he lowered his fist and painfully struggled to move his exhausted body to where his opponent had landed, looking at their face. He saw the lifeless look in their open eyes. He'd won.

He stepped into the ring thinking that he'd celebrate Seiya's death with laughter, but he just stayed silent, looking up at the Grand Pope of the Sanctuary. It took only a moment before the Pope's voice, booming and filled with authority given to him by Athena herself, declared the winner of the match. "ATHENA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED CASSIOS AS A NEW SAINT! THE CLOTH, PROOF THAT YOU ARE A SAINT, IS NOW YOURS!"

Marin remained quiet.

The young man standing next to her, Aiolia, did the same.

Those under Shaina's command loudly celebrated the victory of their friend.

But she herself suddenly left the premises.

Before Cassios could even come up with a reason for why she'd do that, the Pope continued. "Now, some advice, Cassios. Since the age of myth, the Saints have guarded the Goddess Athena and fought for justice. You must use this cloth only to fight for justice. If you violate this law or defile the cloth...

 **Saints from all over the world will come to destroy you.** Never forget that, Cassios..."


End file.
